How does oscilloscopes work? What are oscilloscopes? and please keep it simple but informative...?

Answer 1

Think of those heart monitors on TV that show a line that goes flat as the heart stops.

That is a (specialized) oscilloscope.

The line on the screen shows what the voltage being tested is doing.

If the line goes up, then the voltage is rising.

If the line goes down, the the voltage is going down.

If the line is horizontal, that is neither rising or falling, then the voltage is not changing either. This may be because there is no voltage there (zero volts), or because it is a steady voltage (DC, like from a battery).

I hope this helps a bit?!

Answer 2

As stated, they like a TV only your input is Signals from whatever you test. You can connect to a car Battery and see what Volts it is or you can connect to a computer chip and see what signal it has. The "O-silly-scope" has to be able to run at the Frequency of what it test. Old Scopes that where say; 50 MHz can not measure many Chips today that run it the GHz.
But, it give you a Visual Representation of whatever you test. Some are Single Trace and some are Dual Trace meaning they can measure one signal or Compare 2 signals.
The link below is to "Tektronix" a maker of Oscilloscopes. This a PDF file so you need Acrobat Reader. This a good READ, heck, I even saved this to look over later.

Answer 3

We use them in electronics lab because they measure Voltage vs. Time and basically give you a graph. When you use a oscillator to generate alternating current, the output isn't steady..

You can also take readings at two different places and compare them, which is nice if you've constructed an amplifier or transistor or something.

The output normally looks like a sine wave (a special wave that just goes up and down) or some version of a sine wave..

Answer 4

The have a screen with a grid - like markings on it, for measuring. They have inputs so you can plug your probes into, then the probes can be connected to circuits and provide you with a visual graph of the signal on the screen. You can slow down the time of the signal and see it on the screen in this time frame, for example, or magnify the signal to get a better view of it.
So basically, it is a tool for analyzing electronic signals and components/circuits through the probes or direct cabling.Which allows for enhancement of the signal for aiding in analysis.

Answer 5

They work much like TVs without a tuner, and using much less complicated signals.